Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-19
SNAKES AVID SNAKE BITES.
Trying to Find Ora Anaidose for the
Venom OF Reptiles.

Venom OF Reptiles.
ING RArTLnsNAKEs 70 pYscuARGH THEIR VENOM
INJECTING POISON NTo LIVE ANMAls-rHr HID
EoUs GILA MoHsTER--A TALK WITH DR. YAKRow.
Climbing narrow stairway hidden In a corner
behind an exhibition case in the Smithsonian
building, and threading roundabout passage
through an arsenal OF tall lances bows war-clubs,
and other aboriginal weapons, STAR reporter
found his way to the reptile department OF the
institution IL Is In one Of the galleries overlooking
the exhibition hall. There were no reptiles in
sight, except the dried body OF an iguana. A pair
OF pigeons were hopping about in q big cage: o
big, longIegged orahma pullet was fretting in an
other cage that was not high enough for It to
stretch out at full length; another hen was
tethered by means OF q cord to leg
OF table, and two rabbits were gam
boiling In big box with grated cover.
Strewn about the table were walls, writing ma
but nc reptiles ,
..whers are the snakes.- repeated Prof. Rneem,
partment. "Here they are" and he tapped high
box, against which THE STAR reporter leaned as
ere ca ,s }ss tSs In 70 ne tap
song; something like the song or the Cricket. sus-
tained indefinitely. 1t was the whir Of rattle
s snahe. fsoL RheeI having raised the cover Of
TIE box. Gown in the gloom at the bottom could
be seen four rattesnakes gliding and coling about
THE CHA MONSTERS
IN another box was pair OF ungainly and re-
puisive-looking creatures, known as ella mon
sters. because they are found In the CHA River
country. These creatures are about IL inches long,
ana formed something on the lines OF crocodile
Their legs are short and sturdy, their necks thick
and muscular. their heads most sinister looking,
WIN hldeCus jaw. Their movements are gen.
orally slow and awkward, but they bite With
startling suddenness, and hang on like swapping
turtle ;a There are stories about their bending
piece OF iron In their strong jaws The reptile
department does not, as rule, keep on hand q
supply OF live reptiles. The department has
slowed away in jars Of alcohol, TO be taken down
from their shelves for study, just Us books are
taken from Libraries. Live snakes are kept some.
made from them. The reason for keeping the
Iour rattlesnakes at present Is not 50 much 10
s study the e reptiles as to nd some way 70 rob
the curator, is making experiments with a view
70 testing the virtue OF various supposed antidotes
Tor snake poison.
PROCURING THE VENOM.
or course he has to have the poison first. and
while THE STAR reporter was looking on DR.. Var
row came and went through the process Of get
ting the poison. Dr. Yarrow had long stick or
sean, Win strap so attached TO the end as to
by means Of another sticE With this suafe iasso
ne flshed In the rattlesnake box until he got the
moose over the head OF one OF the serpenls. Then
squirinng reptile out or the box into full daylight
The strap clasped the serpent tightly about
SIX inches from The head. With this much play it
darted It's head about in an angry manner. Then
Prof. Rheem came forward with stick, on the
e eau VI r,, mhien was attached wad OF
the angry serpent until H. opened its Jaws and
struck out, buryilg its laugs In the cotton Again
ana again II struck the cotton. and when ii seemed
NO re. tred OF ~ larrow irItated by scratch
hand. Finally IL refused to strike any more The
snake was dropped into the box and liberated and
snake Was fished up In the same manner and made
10 strike at another cotton wad, and this process
was kept up until al! four SNAKES had been MIXED
poison Is extracted and kept In solution.
INJECTING THE VENOM.
The solution Of venom is injected into the neshy
parts OF the pigeons, chickens, or rabbits upon
which the experiments are tried by means OF a
hyperdermic syringe. Many birds and animals
science. The venom has been administered alone
To determine how quickly 1t will Kill; then sug-
gested antdofes have been injected instantly after
the injection OF venom. In some cases the venom
with the antidote, seemed to produce death more
rapidly than the venom alone. A rabbit after re.
ceiving dose approximately OF twenty -nve min
Inns o. the solution OF venom would die In ten or
twelve minutes. First 1t would become very stupid
and lie SIN. then IL would breathe very quickly,
where the venom did not xiii was that of a heD.
whose leg was tightly igatured above The point or
injection.
BIrTEN BY THE CHA MONSTER.
heioderlra, or ella monster, was brought out
While The STAR reporter was there, and a rabbit
thrust at Ii. The torpid looking beast made a
snap and buried its fangs In the fieshy part OF the
rabbits hind leg, crushing It's teeth In until the
rabbit sqCealed piteously. Til, RABBIT afterward
s SUI no more inconvenience than II would from
are many scientific precautions observed in max
Ing the experiments. Careful notes are taken OF
chemicals so far there has been discovered no
enectual antilOte.
TALK WITH DIR. YARROw.
DR.. YarrOw sat in his Office the other evening
and talked with STAR reporter about snakes. 81
might say we have just begun our work We in
tend TO make exhaustive experiments with every.
thing which is presented as an antidote for the
poison OF rattlesnake. We expect soon to receive
two or three fine large Florida rattlers There are
many things for which is claimed the virtue OF
neutralizing the poison OF snake bite but thus
far we have not found anything that has satisfied
our experiments OF course that does not signify
that we Will not find an antidOle, as our work is
still before Us, as have said. We have tried those
things that have been tried by scientists and pro-
nounced successful. My greatest disappointment
was With ammonia. Hatred, the Austrian, made
jected into the wound made by the reptile IL
proved a perfect antidote. This seemed quite
tlesnakc IS acid and an antidote might reasonably
be expected in strong alkali, like ammonia But
my experiments were failure. Injected the
poison OF RATHER into pigeon and followed at
once with an In lection OF ammonia into the wound
We know just how long it takes pigeon to die
from the bite OF RATHER, and We found tn &c in.
stead OF saving the birds life the ammonia caused
death much sooner than the poison alone Perman-
ganate OF potash failed also John SHORTS snake
stone possesses no virtue to prevent poison, Eu-
phOrba-the miLkweed-iS supposed to n0ssoss
great virtue an antidOte The indians are said 70
use some form OFF with great success. We 0ayett
very thorough TRIAL and were disappointed. We
Injected an extract into the wound made a poul.
tice OF the plant, and even injected some Of the
extract into the rabbits stomach, but It did him
NO good-he died. There are many other thin0a
that we are going to try. There are many tradi-
tional remedies for snake bite as for eyervthinr
else. We are going TO try them all. We Shall tesS
by experiment any remedy suggested.
THE BEST WAY TO GET THE POISON
"For the purpose Of experiment we inject the
venom OF the serpent into the flesh of a live rab.
bit or pigeon. We get the venom from the rsttler
by making him run bis fangs into absorbtive raw
extracted from the cotton and put into sO.utiOn.
The method OF pressing the poison glands OF the
ratter 70 force the poison out IS nos effective II
cannot be done with the snake in n nerfectiv
healthy condition. His fangs fold back when he il
not about 10 strike, and in 80 doing cut Off the
flow OF venom. He must be either under the in
fiuence OF ChiOrofOrm or In a very week physical
venom. After taking chlorororm the raLtler dies
The way we do is TO simply put the raw cotton on
the END of stick, and POKE IL aG the RATHER and
tease him until he strikes Ii. II then absorbs the
venom he elects This does not tpture the snake
and preserves his teeth. The teeth OF our rattler